Approximately 9% of the general population will report the onset of IBS over a 1 year period. Despite this, no standard and reliable diagnostic test for IBS is currently available. As such, there is keen interest in development of a rapid and accurate diagnostic test for IBS.
IBS is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort along with changes in the frequency or consistency of the stool. IBS most commonly occurs during the third and fourth decade of life, with decreasing incidence rates in the sixth and seventh decade. Symptoms of IBS are a common reason that patients seek medical care from gastrointestinal specialists and account for 2.4-3.5 million physician visits annually. Since there are no structural abnormalities or biochemical markers associated with IBS, the diagnosis is based on the presence of clinical symptoms using specific, validated criteria.
Symptom-based consensus-derived diagnostic criteria have been established to create uniformity in reporting and to enhance diagnostic accuracy. The criteria used to establish the diagnosis of IBS have evolved reflecting a better understanding of the symptomatology associated with this disease. The newer and the most recent criteria reflect more specific clinical diagnostic standards such that many patients previously diagnosed with IBS, may have been mislabeled and hence misdiagnosed based on the latest criteria. Conversely, more restrictive case definitions of the criteria may lead to patients being under diagnosed with IBS. Another limitation of the diagnostic criteria is that they do not account for differences in disease severity or differences among distinct pathophysiologic subgroups. Furthermore, symptoms experienced by patients with IBS often overlap with other gastrointestinal disease which creates considerable uncertainty among physicians and concerns about potentially missing other gastrointestinal diseases.
Approximately 9% of the general population will report the onset of IBS over a 1 year period. Despite this, no standard and reliable diagnostic test for IBS is currently available. As such, there is keen interest in development of a rapid and accurate diagnostic test for IBS. Therefore, improvements in methods and systems for accurate identification of individuals with a genetic predisposition for developing IBS are desirable.